ShinKori Unit 2 Review: IAEA Praises Good Practices and Safety Improvements

OSART missions independently assess operating practices against IAEA safety standards and provide recommendations and suggestions to help operators improve safety.

An International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) team has recognized the commitment to operational safety at ShinKori Unit 2 in Busan, Republic of Korea, and identified opportunities to strengthen leadership, operations and radiation protection. Requested by the Government, the Operational Safety Review Team (OSART) mission took place from 26 October to 12 November 2026 at the reactor, identified in the review as Unit 2 of Kori Nuclear Power Plant. Operated by Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP), the 1,000-megawatt pressurized water reactor began commercial operation in 2012 and is one of the company's 26 reactors.

OSART missions independently assess operating practices against IAEA safety standards and provide recommendations and suggestions to help operators improve safety. This review covered leadership and management for safety, training and qualification, operations, maintenance, technical support, radiation protection, chemistry, emergency preparedness and accident management. Preparation included examining plant information on technical features, organizational structure, staff responsibilities and operational arrangements to understand how the unit manages its work.

Experts came from China, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Spain, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and the United States of America. An observer from the United Arab Emirates joined the team, which worked with IAEA staff to exchange international experience across the areas reviewed. During the mission, reviewers observed plant activities, examined performance indicators and held detailed discussions with personnel about practices affecting safe and reliable operation.

Returning to Kori connects the review with OSART's beginnings

The team described plant personnel as knowledgeable, professional and strongly committed to improving operational safety and reliability, highlighting constructive technical discussions throughout the visit. Juraj Rovny, OSART Team Leader and Head of the IAEA's Operational Safety Section, noted that the programme was established in 1982 and conducted its first mission at Kori in August 1983. He said returning more than four decades later reflected Korea's sustained engagement with international peer review, with open exchanges helping reviewers and plant staff learn from one another and identify further improvements.

Training, waste handling and hazard monitoring offer useful examples

Reviewers identified a virtual field operation system as a good practice for sharing internationally because it allows field and control room operators to train together in realistic scenarios that strengthen coordination and teamwork. An innovative mechanical process for handling activated carbon filter waste reduces manual handling and contamination risks and improves radioactive waste processing. The team highlighted an integrated disaster monitoring system that brings together real-time information on external hazards and provides warnings specific to the plant.

Recommendations focus on safer work and stronger operational controls

The mission recommended that the plant consider strengthening the implementation of its industrial safety arrangements and reinforcing the safety expectations that guide work. Reviewers called for improvements in the conduct and control of operational activities, including the accurate transfer and use of information needed for effective operations. Contamination control arrangements and practices were identified as another priority to reduce the risk of radioactive contamination spreading.

Song Chang-Soo, Director General of Kori Nuclear Power Plant, welcomed the assessment and said its findings would support a stronger safety culture and continued improvements in safety and reliability, reaffirming nuclear safety as the highest priority. Plant management received a draft report and will have an opportunity to comment on factual matters before the findings are finalized. The IAEA will review those comments and submit the final report to the Republic of Korea within three months.